


Requiem

by SS_Purple



Category: RWBY
Genre: Original Character(s), Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-19 07:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12405891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SS_Purple/pseuds/SS_Purple
Summary: Set 10 years before the events of RWBY, this FanFic explores 2 teams tackling one of the biggest threats ever seen at Beacon.





	1. Chapter 1

Owen had always conjured up the fight to Beacon in his mind. He had done it countless times, each one being slightly different. He was finally experiencing it, and it was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.  
The enormous cliffs that surrounded the water stood proudly in the sunlight. Small streams of water ran down their sides, and small emerald tree lines that could be seen sitting atop them. The water sparkled languidly, reflecting the sun and its rays. The white fluffy clouds lazily floated in the cobalt sky. Irritation flickered within him, wanting to feel the breeze but instead being stuck inside the ship. Owen’s eyes flicked away from the view and observed those around him.  
Sitting next to him was a girl with short wavy sky blue hair that brushed her shoulders, her legs were crossed and her hand supported her chin as she slept quietly. The white pair of horn-rimmed glasses had slid down her nose slightly. Owen’s eyes lingered to her neck which had a scar slashed horizontally through it. Suddenly, her eyes flickered open as she peered at him. He blinked in mild surprise.  
“Yes?” She asked, with a hint of annoyance.  
“Hello,” Owen said lamely. The girl eyed him silently, she followed his gaze to her scar and frowned slightly.  
“Do you need something?” She asked. It was more of a threat. The low humming of voices and the buzzing of the ship cut into their momentary silence.  
“Just a question. Not to be rude, but where did you get the scar?” Owen asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. The girl leaned back with a sigh.  
“That’s the first thing you ask?” She said finally, a grin split his face.  
“What can I say? It’s certainly prominent.” The girl pushed up her glasses and stayed silent, apparently not wanting to answer.  
“What’s your name?” He asked finally.  
“Celeste.” She responded simply, Owen nodded slowly, holding out his hand.  
“I’m Owen. Owen Williams.” He stated with a grin. Celeste eyed him but ignored his outstretched hand.  
“Right. It’s a pleasure.” She responded monotonously. The buzzing of the ship cut into the silence as Owen retracted his hand, sliding it through his black hair. “So?” he finally asked.  
“So what?”  
“So, what did he say to you?” Owen clarified.  
“Who?” Celeste asked.  
“Ozpin.” He said. Celeste turned towards the front of the ship in contemplative silence.  
“You mean the interview?” She said finally, Owen nodded. “It went a little like this.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celeste sat with her arms crossed on her chest and her feet crossed on the table.  
“Ms. Shade, for the last time would you please remove your feet from the table,” The woman across from her scolded. She had identified herself as Glynda Goodwitch, and had been fussing at her since her arrival.  
“What will you do if I don’t?” Glynda quickly stood and pointed at Celeste.  
“Young lady, that is no way to speak to your elders.” Celeste rose to meet her, when the door opened suddenly. A man in a green suit walked in carrying a mug and a plate of cookies.  
“Ah, I see you two have been talking.” Celeste sits back down, but not before smirking at Glynda.  
“Ozpin, are you sure you want this one at Beacon. She’s a troublemaker, has no respect, and no manners.” Glynda said, glaring at Celeste.  
“Yes, I’m quite sure I do, and am quite aware of her personality.” He sets the plate down, and sits in front of Celeste.  
“Ms. Shade, do you know who I am?”  
“Of course I do, what kind of idiot do you take me for. You’re Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Which would make you a pretty strong fighter.”  
“Indeed it does. I would like to offer you a place here at my academy. A chance to learn and to grow. What do you say?” Celeste looked between Glynda and Ozpin, then to Ascalon, then back to Ozpin.  
“I’d be an idiot to refuse.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Pretty brief then,” Owen observed, nodding after it was apparent that she had finished.  
“Suppose so,” Celeste responded shortly. “What did he say to you?” She asked, curious about what the professor had said to the boy sitting next to her.  
“Me?” Owen asked, cocking his head to the side. Celeste nodded. Owen looked up, silent.  
“Not much happened to be honest.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On another side of the ship, another pair of teens sat in silence as they sailed towards Beacon.  
“Nice view isn’t it?” A boy named D’art said as he peered out the window. The girl next to him was silent, her eyes scanning the text of her book. She flipped to the next page without saying a word.  
D’art was silent for a bit, huffed his bangs out of his eyes and leaned back in his seat. Great, I can’t even hold a conversation with the first person I talk to. He thought miserably.  
“It’s not bad.” She said finally. D’art looked up, glanced at the girl in mild surprise, and smiled sheepishly.  
“Know what Beacon looks like?” He asked, trying to make conversation. The girl shut her book with a soft slam and glanced at him.  
“Yes.” She responded. The girl’s voice was quiet, monotonous. Her blue eyes flicked at him and looked away again.  
“How do you know what it looks like?” He asked. The girl tapped her scroll without answering. D’art nodded slowly and asked another question. “What’s your name?” The girl hesitated.  
“Eve.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eve resisted the urge to move to another seat, as the boy asked yet another question. Annoyance washed through her as she fingered the binding of her book. But the Professor’s words rang in her head as a reminder. Briefly, Eve remembered the interview she had gone through a few days before.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man whom Eve had conjured up in her mind countless times looked nothing like the one that sat in front of her.  
“Miss Glamis, cookies?” He asked, gesturing towards a plate on the table.  
“No.” She responded, without looking at them. This was the person who was the head of one of the most prestigious academies in the kingdom? Disappointment ran through her as she observed him silently.  
“Are you sure? They’re double chocolate chip.” He said glancing at them. Eve didn’t bother to respond, her eyes narrowing.  
Behind him, was a woman with blonde hair and lime green eyes that flared in the dim light. She stared at Eve disapprovingly.  
“Glynda.” He said quietly. The woman, Glynda glanced at him. “Could you exit for this one?” He asked, she made a face.  
“But-”  
“Please.” He interrupted with a warm smile. Glynda lips curved into a slight frown but she nodded curtly, strutting out of the room. The man patiently waited until the door closed and then leaned forward, his eyes losing the carelessness they held before.  
“You know who I am correct?” He asked.  
“Of course,” Eve said. The man, Ozpin nodded slowly and leaned back, interlocking his fingers.  
“Why do you want to enroll in my academy Miss Glamis?”  
“I want to fight.” She said simply. Ozpin pushed up his glasses and responded.  
“If that was the case you could just join the army.”  
“I don’t want to join the army,” Eve responded.  
“Yes.” He said pulling up his scroll. “I suppose they wouldn’t accept you if they saw this.” Despite herself, Eve’s eyes flicked down to the video and widened slightly.

It was her. Threatening a man who was muttering under his breath. The hand holding her weapon moved slightly before the video stopped. The room became silent, Ozpin observed Eve’s face impassively.  
“Where did you get that?” She asked darkly.  
“It doesn’t matter where I got it. You attacked an innocent civilian.” Ozpin’s eyes narrowed.  
“He’s anything but innocent.” She hissed. “ Besides, he had information I wanted that was important. I didn’t kill him.” Eve responded, looking away.  
“You injured them.”  
“This is none of your business.” She snapped, immediately regretting her tone and taking a deep breath. “It’s personal.”  
“That’s not an excuse,” Ozpin said, the room fell silent.  
“I apologize. But I don’t see what this has to do with enrolling.” Eve said finally. Ozpin put the scroll away.  
“I want you to understand something Miss Glamis.” He said. “I made this academy so Hunters and Huntresses could work together to fight the Grimm. So they could value human life. What you did went against that.”  
“What you did went against my personal rights and privacy.” Eve struck back with rigor, Ozpin sighed, ignoring her jab.  
“You’re a spectacular fighter Miss. Glamis, but you’ll need more than fighting skills if you enroll here. You’ll need to make friends, teammates.”  
“Why’s that?” She asked looking down. “So they can just betray you? Drag you down?”  
“So they can keep you alive,” Ozpin responded. Eve wanted to contradict him, to say ‘they’re the ones who would kill you’. But she stayed silent, knowing her own stubbornness. “I believe you can learn the value of teamwork here. And that is why I am willing to accept you into Beacon.”  
Eve looked up, surprised and hopeful, despite herself. He continued to speak.  
“But if you can’t bear to change, then perhaps this line of work isn’t right for you,” Ozpin said slowly. He stood up and walked to the door, casting a final glance at Eve over his shoulder.  
“Good luck Miss. Glamis.” He said quietly before shutting the door behind him, leaving her in silence.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eve sucked in a breath as she remembered his words. ‘I believe you can learn the value of teamwork here. And that is why I am willing to accept you into Beacon. But if you can’t bear to change, then perhaps this line of work isn’t right for you.’ She had to try to befriend someone, and this boy was a good start.  
“Eve?” The boy raised an eyebrow, interrupting her thoughts.  
“Sorry.” She said quickly. “What did you ask?”  
“Where do you come from?” He asked, leaning back in his seat.  
“Hold up.” She said quickly. The boy blinked in surprise. “Before I answer that, what’s your name?” She asked.  
“Oh.” He said simply, “D’art.”  
“D’art,” Eve echoed softy. He nodded, “Interesting name,” Eve added.  
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” D’art responded. Eve panicked a little.  
“Not that I meant to offend you. It’s a good name, just never heard of it before. I mean, that’s because I don’t talk to people very often. If you couldn’t tell I mean,” Eve stuttered, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear. “I mean if I accidentally offend you I’m sorry, but it’s a cool name really. Like a D’art-frog. Not that I’m saying you’re a frog, because you’re clearly not.” She finished quickly. D’art stared at her blankly and then burst out into laughter. Eve peered at him quietly.  
“I wasn’t offended, don’t worry,” D’art said finally after he had stopped laughing. “You didn’t have to panic.” He added, Eve blinked.  
“I don’t panic.” She said defensively. D’art raised an eyebrow.  
“You sure?”  
“Yes.” She said quickly. D’art smirked.  
“Right.”  
“What about you?” Eve asked, though she wasn’t very interested. “How did your interview go?”  
“Well,” He began.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dart fingered the edges of his coat as he avoided the glare of the blonde woman who stood in the corner. Even though he had stood in front of crowds of people back at home, the piercing stare of this woman made him uncomfortable. He was about to pull out his scroll when suddenly, the door opened and in walked a man in a green suit with grey hair. He carried a plate of cookies and a steaming mug. Dart followed his movements as he sat at the table and observed him in silently.  
The man named Ozpin carried himself humbly, but with a sense of purpose and responsibility. His eyes shone in the light and his face held a wiseness that Dart could only hope to achieve after a long period of time.  
“Hello, Mr. Montaigne.” The man said warmly.  
“Bonjour,” Dart replied quickly, his eyes widening when he realized he had replied in French. “Sorry,” He said quickly, a flush covering his cheeks. “Force of habit.”  
“That’s quite alright,” Ozpin said with a smile. “I see, you know French then.” Dart nodded humbly. “Oh right, cookies?” He asked. Dart glanced at the plate of cookies that sat dejectedly on the wooden table.  
“Sure.” He responded, biting into one. Ozpin waited for him to finish respectfully.  
“Now then, do you know who I am?” The man asked finally.  
“Yes. You’re Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy.” Dart replied.  
“That’s correct,” Ozpin said with a chuckle as he took a sip from his mug, setting it back on the table.  
“Now then, Dart tell me. Why would you want to leave the Guard and come here?” Dart blinked in surprise and then his eyes flicked downwards.  
“It’s not that I left.” He said finally.  
“No?” Ozpin asked. Dart nodded slowly, his brown hair falling over his eyes.  
“I’m aiming to be more powerful, stronger. This is my formal training.” Dart explained slowly. “I’m still part of the guard.” He added. Ozpin nodded.  
“So when you’re powerful enough, you’ll return home?” He asked. Dart nodded.  
“To protect the people I care about.”  
“You have people precious to you there?” Ozpin asked.  
“Oui,” Dart replied. Ozpin blinked slowly. “Yes.” Dart quickly clarified. The Professor nodded, pushed up his glasses, and leaned forwards.  
“And you’re willing to do anything to protect those who are precious to you?” He asked finally.  
“Absolutely,” Dart responded, determined. Ozpin nodded with a smile.  
“Well then, Mr. Montaigne, welcome to Beacon Academy.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D’art stopped talking and blew his hair out of his face. Eve’s jaw twitched when he had finished telling his story.  
“Well, he was nice enough to you.” She observed, her face impassive. D’art glanced at her.  
“He wasn’t kind to you?” He asked. Eve hesitated.  
“No, he was kind. It’s just-”  
“Just what?” D’art interrupted. Eve’s eyes lowered slightly.  
“Nothing.”

At the back of the ship, a girl named Riliane with long blonde hair fumbled about the aisle. Her semblance allowed her to have a small idea of what was around her and she was becoming more confident of her surroundings. Riliane was about to take another step before she tripped on something, falling onto another person with an oomph. Dazed she sat on the floor, holding her head.  
“I’m so sorry!” A high pitched voice said worriedly, Riliane turned in the direction of the voice. “I wasn’t looking where I was going, are you okay?” They added.  
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry too.” Riliane said quickly, she was gently pulled up. The person in front of her was silent as they observed her and then they continued to speak.  
“My name is Olive, sorry again for bumping into you,” Olive said.  
“It’s no problem, this happens to me a lot,” Riliane said with a laugh as she extended her hand slowly. Olive took it and shook it vigorously.  
“What’s your name?” Olive asked.  
“Riliane.” The blonde girl replied, tugging on her twin-tails.  
“It’s nice to meet you Riliane!” Olive said energetically.  
“Likewise,” Riliane said with a warm smile. She was happy to have met such a warm lively person when she hadn’t even entered the academy grounds yet. “I’m sorry to ask, but could you help me find my luggage?” Riliane asked.  
“Your luggage?”  
“Yes.”  
“What happened to it?” Olive asked.  
“Well,” Riliane began, “I had gotten up to go to the bathroom, but I can’t find where I originally sat.”  
“Can you describe your luggage?” Olive asked. Riliane nodded.  
“It’s all light blue with pink straps on the handles.” There was a pause (Riliane could assume that Olive had nodded).  
“Alright. I’ll be right back okay?” Olive said, walking down the aisle. Riliane sat down in a nearby seat.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Dart caught a glimpse of a free seat, his eyes widened slightly and he quickened his pace down the aisle. “Finally,” He muttered under his breath, letting his bag sag down his shoulder as he began to sit down. Before he could do so, a girl his age with blonde spiky hair sat in the seat in front of him. Dart stared at her silently, blinking. The girl’s green eyes flicked upwards towards him.  
“Need something?” She asked innocently. Dart cleared his throat, doing his best to be polite.  
“Well yes, actually that’s,” Dart stopped and scratched his head. The girl peered at him unblinkingly. “I was going to sit there.” He finished sheepishly.  
“Oh.” The girl finished. The two were silent as the voices around them seemed to grow louder. “Sorry about that.” The girl said finally. Dart bit his lip and looked around. All the seats were full, several other students had taken to leaning against the wall.  
“Damn,” Dart muttered.  
“Pardon me.” A male voice next to him said quickly. Dart stepped back, allowing a short boy with bright blue hair to squeeze through the seats and walk down the aisle.  
“Free seat.” The girl said, gesturing to the spot the boy had left.  
“He’s not coming back?” Dart asked.  
“He took his stuff, so I don’t think so” She responded.  
Dart nodded and sat in the seat the boy had left. It was near the window, allowing him to get a glimpse of the cliffs and the cobalt sky. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The girl said, leaning forward so she could see.  
“Yeah,” Dart responded, taking in the sparkling water and the puffy clouds.  
“I recommend going out to the observation deck, I was just there. The view is even nicer.”  
“I’ll think about it,” Dart responded, thinking for a bit. He faced the girl and held out his hand. “The name’s Dart.” He said with a smile. The girl took his hand and smiled in return.  
“Olive,” She said. “Nice to meet you.”  
“Likewise,” Dart responded. “What brings you to Beacon?”  
“Well, my sister went to Shade Academy, it was only natural that I would apply to Beacon,” Olive replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “You?”  
“To get stronger, see more of the world,” Dart responded. The two were silent, not quite knowing what to say.  
“What do you think initiation this year will be?” Olive asked. Dart hesitated.  
“Couldn't tell you.” He responded. “What do you think?” Olive leaned back, looking away from the view.  
“There’ve been rumors that this year’s initiation will be more different and challenging than the others.” She said brightly. Dart chuckled, putting his hands behind his head to yawn.  
“They say that every year.”  
“Well yes, but more people have said it this year,” Olive replied. Dart shrugged.  
“Doesn't mean much. Hope it’s easy.” Dart added. Olive peered at him.  
“You don’t like a challenge?” She asked.  
“Of course I like challenges,” Dart replied, “But there’s no point if there’s not a better reward for it.” Olive grinned.  
“Fair enough.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xanthic flinched when a voice suddenly began speaking.  
“We are close to arriving at Beacon Academy. Please gather your things and prepare to disembark.” As if it was a signal, several people got up and rushed to the observation deck. Xanthic stretched his neck, trying to get a glimpse, but giving up.  
“Come on,” Xanthic said, gesturing towards the crowd. Riliane shook her head and smiled sadly.  
“I’ll wait here, tell me how it looks later.” She said. Xanthic felt a pang of sympathy but he nodded and timidly weaved his way through the crowd. When he finally broke through, he dashed to the edge of the deck and gasped, a childish grin on his face.

Beacon Academy stood proudly in front of him. It was white and grey, with spiral towers and a long white bridge that curved around the school. Large glass windows sparkled against the sun. A small blue stream circled the building, surrounded by beautiful stone and obsidian lamp posts. Beautiful weeping willows swayed in the breeze, their long flowing arms brushing against the stone. A long walkway led up to the big wooden doors at the end. Xanthic swallowed and made his way back to his seat, grabbing his luggage.

A few minutes later, when Xanthic and Riliane exited the ship they looked up in awe. Beacon towered above them as students whispered ecstatically.  
“Hey, Riliane?” Xanthic asked, not taking his eyes off the school.  
“Yeah?” Riliane asked, her head tilting towards him.  
“I think we’re going to like it here,” Xanthic added breathlessly. A smile came onto her face.  
“I think you’re right,” Riliane responded. “Absolutely right.”


	2. Chapter 2

"You may be wondering what we are here for," Ozpin said, standing in front of the group. "We are here to see how you do in a combat situation as well as put you into teams. You will be sent into individual tunnels that will lead you into a maze. In the center of this maze will be small relics. You must collect these relics and bring them back. The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the remainder of your stay here at Beacon. Be warned. The maze is full of a variety of Grimm, and when the last relic is collected... Well, let's just say, It's going to be interesting. Now, any questions." A large number of hands raised. "Very good. Glynda will now show you where to go." Ozpin finished, ignoring the hands, and taking a sip from his mug. Leading the students to their tunnels, Glynda reminded them of the mission. The students passed through the tunnels, and out to the maze. The test had begun. 

 

Olive nearly skipped through the narrow corridors. Deciding to save her energy she simply teleported past any grimm she faced. Suddenly a wall disappeared and a young woman jumped back into her making them both fall. The girl quickly recovered and dodged the creep’s next attack. Olive rolled out of the way and got back to her feet. She turned to face them, “Hello there~”  
The woman was completely silent as her eyes and black scarf were focused on the grimm. The fabric folded over itself making a point and had a dim dark brown glow. It quickly jutted out and pierced the creep’s flesh just below its jaw. It fell to the ground already fading into smoke. “Who are you?”  
“I’m Olive, nice to meet you.” She held out her hand and smiled brightly.  
“Amelia,” She paused before shaking her hand. “I think… this makes us partners?”  
“Yep! Though what’s with your scarf? Is it infused with dust?”  
“Yeah.”  
“That’s so cool! I’ve never actually seen someone who uses dust fabric before. Is it difficult to control? Or does it basically just do whatever you think?”  
“I’m not sure what it’s like for others… It’s easier for me because I use my semblance to control the scarf itself.”  
“Wow~ That’s so cool! Think I could try using it sometime? You could borrow Shadow Bolt in exchange of course!”  
“I’m not sure… For now, we should just focus on passing initiation.” Amelia continued walking again and Olive followed closely behind.

Riliane’s cape billowed behind her as she ran through the maze. With her semblance activated it was easy for her to avoid even the sudden changes in the walls. Despite this, she still ran directly into someone. “Ow, what the?”  
“Did you not see me?” An irritated voice came from the young man now kneeling on the ground and his presence became crystal clear to Riliane, as if he had just popped into existence.  
“No, sorry. I can’t see most people very well.” She chuckled and offered her hand to him.  
“Huh? Oh, Riliane.” He took her assistance to get up. “We met on the airship. You ran into me then too.”  
“Xanthic, right?”  
“The one and only,” he gave a short mock bow and chuckled, this time it was Riliane being left out of the joke. A beowolf growled and came around the corner, “Oh right, I was doing something.” Xanthic flicked his left hand into the air making his glove fly off, it spun and folded over itself changing into a blunderbuss pistol. He charged a shot, a ball of bright green energy formed at the end of the barrel. It then fired off hitting the grimm square in the chest and knocking it back. Switching his weapon back he dashed in sliced its throat with both clawed hands. The creature turned into black smoke and Xanthic returned to his new partner’s side. “To the relics, m’lady,” He took a knee as a knight in fairy tales would and they both laughed before setting off.

 

Eve zoned in on the path in front of her. The narrow walkway disappeared into the dim blue light. As the bell sounded, Eve sprinted into the darkness using her semblance to speed herself up considerably. Find the center, find the center, find the center. She thought, letting the chains of her whip slide down her arm. Far ahead was a large beowolf slowly crawling towards her. Without giving it a second glance, Eve wrapped the whip around its legs, ripping them off as she continued to run.   
If she had assumed right she wouldn’t even have to use the weapons on the whip itself. Considering the incompetent people she had observed, the initiation would be easy. A small confident smirk came onto her lips but she erased it quickly, using her semblance to sprint on the walls of the maze, running past a small group of beowolves. At this rate, she would reach the center in about- Eve gasped as she dodged a bullet of lightning, losing her concentration and falling off the wall, flipping around at the right moment and rolling on the ground. Annoyed, Eve rubbed her head and looked up.   
A boy with an ursa pelt coat and brown hair lept in the air, two tomahawks in hand as he flipped, burying his blades into the head of an Ursa. His feet slammed onto its shoulders before he did a backflip, landing on the ground smoothly. The Ursa let out a loud groan before limply falling onto the ground with a thud. The boy strolled to the Ursa’s dead body, yanking out the axes embedded in its skull. Calmly, his head turned slightly towards her and the two blinked.   
“Hullo.” The boy stated, rather surprised. Eve stared at him and brushed the dirt off her jacket rather briskly.   
“Hi.” She responded blankly. Her eyes snapped to the rifle on his back and her eyes instinctively narrowed. Had he fired the electrical bullet?   
“I guess that means we’re partners?” The boy asked, facing her and putting away his tomahawks. Partners. She had almost forgotten. Eve refrained from a sigh and nodded mildly. “The name’s D’art.” The boy said, holding out his hand. Eve stared at it, and grimly shook his hand. D’art stared at her expectantly.   
“Oh, my name’s Eve.” She responded. D’art nodded and turned around. “Onwards to the center then?” He asked. Eve nodded, hoping desperately that this boy wouldn’t slow her down. She wasn’t about to fail initiation because of one person. 

However, as the two sprinted towards the center Eve realized that the boy was not slow at all. In fact, he was almost faster than she was. Mildly impressed and very relieved, Eve used her semblance to speed the two up.   
The easy sprint didn’t last long. Suddenly, a low groan emerged from under the ground. The two came to a stop, panting. They looked down, and then up again.   
“Did you hear that?” D’art asked softly. Eve slowly stared at her feet and swallowed.   
“I’m sure it was nothing.” She dismissed. D’art nodded slowly.  
“Right, right.” He replied, biting his lip. An uneasy expression came upon his face. Another thud echoed under the ground. The two made eye contact, eyes wide, before sprinting down the path. The ground erupted beneath them and the two were thrown into the air. Eve, with a grunt, used her gravity semblance, allowing the two to reassert themselves before falling on the ground. The two rolled onto their sides.   
A line of white bloomed on the ground, quickly spreading towards them. Eve’s eyes widened.   
“Run.” She said softly. D’art groaned, clutching his head and sitting up.   
“What?” He asked.   
“RUN!” She shrieked, standing up and grabbing his arm, yanking him to his feet. D’art made a sound of panic as he caught a glance of the spreading line of white, sprinting behind his partner.   
“IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?” D’art yelled, his voice reaching Eve’s ears.   
“YES!” Eve hollered, speeding them both up to the best of her ability. The ground behind them was freezing, the stone becoming a beautiful crystal blue. Small green weeds that sprouted in between the stone became small sticks of ice. The air behind them became misty as flakes of snow fell from the sky.   
“To think they’d use ice dust,” Eve muttered beneath her breath, panting. As the two ran, the line seemed to spread faster until it was nearly at their ankles.   
“What happens when it reaches us?!” D’art yelled. Eve didn’t respond, with grit teeth she used the last of her energy to speed the both of them up.   
The two reached a clearing where they collapsed on the ground. The line of ice slowed, and then retracted back into the path, leaving the two breathless.   
“Sanglante.” D’art panted. “What’s wrong with this place?” His head hit the floor and he closed his eyes. “Wake me in five minutes.” He grumbled. Eve sighed, standing up shakily.   
“We don’t have time to rest.” She responded swiftly.   
“That’s the fastest I’ve run. Ever.” D’art spat weakly. “I think we’re ahead of everyone, we can afford to take a break.” Eve shook her head, her eyes locked on the path leading deeper into the labyrinth. D’art sat up, squinting at her. “Are you human?” He asked. “How can you even move after that?”  
“If we lie down now, we won’t get up for a while,” Eve responded quickly. D’art groaned, as his partner grabbed his arm.   
“Just five minutes.” He pleaded.   
“Let’s go.” Eve snapped, she yanked on his arm, but D’art sat firmly in place. Eve was about to use her semblance when she decided she didn’t want to waste it on such a trivial affair when she had exhausted it already. She debated going to the center herself but decided not to risk it.   
“Hey.” She started.   
“Sup,” D’art responded, his eyes closed as sat on the ground.   
“Have you heard the story of the Tortoise and the Hare?” Eve asked.  
“Pardon?” D’art asked.   
“You haven’t then. Do you want to hear it?” Eve asked, staring ahead.   
“No,” D’art responded.  
“It goes a bit like this,” Eve said, ignoring his groan. “There was a tortoise and a hare,”  
“Pas de merde,” D’art muttered.  
“They were both participating in a race.” Eve continued, unaffected. “The hare was much faster than the tortoise. And when the hare reached the halfway mark, and looked behind him, the tortoise was nowhere to be seen.”  
“Sucks for him.”   
“The hare was so confident that he could win the race, he decided to take a nap.” Spoke Eve.   
“I can sympathize.”  
“The tortoise passed the hare while he was sleeping, and when the hare woke up it was too late. The tortoise had already passed the finish line. The crowd cheered for the tortoise and the hare was frustrated that he had slept.” Eve finished.   
“What a wonderful story.” D’art said sarcastically.  
“Thanks.” Eve replied, mildly surprised and oblivious to his sarcasm. “Cmon, let’s keep going.”  
“Gonna throw in another lovely story if we stay?” D’art questioned, peeking open one eye to stare at his partner.   
“Perhaps.” Eve responded, turning to look at him. D’art seemed to contemplate this possibility before grimacing and standing up slowly with a yawn.  
“Another time maybe. For now, let’s keep going.” He said with a grin, rolling up his sleeves and holding up his hand for a high five. Eve stared at it blankly. D’art heaved a sigh.   
“Gonna leave me hanging?” He asked sarcastically. Eve stared at his hand and then blinked, letting her’s touch his softly. D’art flushed and shook his head. “Nononno, you slap it. It’s a high five.” He retracted his own and hit her hand lightly.   
“Right,” Eve responded simply. D’art let out a tired laugh and scratched his head sheepishly.   
“Oh, whatever.” He turned to face the clearing. “Let’s go kick some grimm booty.” He grinned and sprinted down the path that lay ahead. Eve stared after him, glancing at her hand and then sprinting after her partner.

 

She ran through the corridors, searching for the way out. She made a left, then a right, then another left, only to find herself at a dead end. "I hate mazes," Celeste yelled out.   
"Behind you!" she heard someone yell. A loud growling sound came from behind her as a creep drew near. Drawing out Ferrum Glacies, she activated the burn dust, and charged at the Grimm. Blades clashed with claws as the Huntress and Grimm fought each other. Not much later, the grimm began disappearing as it had been defeated. Celeste looked around for who had called out to her, only to find no one there.   
"Hello?" she called out, hoping for an answer.   
"Are you okay?" the voice asked.   
"I'm fine. Where are you?" The voice didn't respond. Celeste began walking the way she had come. She traced herself back to the closest intersection, and began walking the other way. A few corridors later, the voice returned.  
"I'm close to you, just wait where you are." It was now that Celeste realized she wasn't hearing the voice with her ears. It was in her head.  
"You again? I told you to stay out of my head." Silence. "I don't need any help from you. Just leave me alone." The sound of footsteps behind her signaled she was no longer alone.   
"That's gonna be hard to do since we're partners now. The name's Owen, by the way." The huntsman said, extending out his hand. Celeste looked at him, then turned and walked away not saying anything. "Hey. Wait up." Owen said as he chased after her.

 

Amelia and her partner arrived in the center of the maze and caught a glimpse of a man with a lion tail and his partner leaving. A great wooden pedestal held several figurines of different grimm species. She noted the only set missing was the beringel. “Do you have a preference?” Amelia asked looking down at her partner.  
“Hm…” Olive carefully inspected all the figurines on the table before snatching up the goliath. “Elephants are cute,” she held it up for Amelia’s approval.  
“I guess so…” Amelia stopped in her tracks at the sound she recognized as an alpha beowolf. She turned her back to where the sound came from, “This way.”  
“What? Couldn’t they be in trouble?”  
“If they were accepted to this school then they should be fine against a single alpha. Besides, the professor said we needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.”  
“Beowolves always call for reinforcements though,” Olive dashed off towards the howl. Amelia sighed and followed after her, if nothing else it might be good practice. Looking desperately for the students in trouble Olive stopped and pulled her bandana over her face. She leaped forward and rolled out of the way as the alpha they heard earlier broke through the wall on their left. It got back up and started towards Amelia. Her scarf moved to block his swings as she attempted to regain balance from the surprize. A pair consisting of a young man and woman came through the hole in the wall. The girl held out her wooden staff, Olive saw her press a button making it extend and curve into a longbow. She drew an arrow and as she released Olive jabbed at nothing with her wakizashi causing a bolt of electricity fly out. The dust combined with the arrow and pierced the nape of the grimm’s neck.  
It recoiled from the shot and fell limp before dissolving. “Thanks for the help,” Riliane said facing roughly in Olive’s direction.  
“Glad to,” She smiled brightly removing her face mask. “Oh! Do you two want a boost to the center?”  
“You know the way?” Xanthic asked disbelievingly.  
“Yeah, though this’ll be much faster.” Riliane disappeared in a warm breeze.   
“What did you-” Before he could finish his question he also disappeared with a gentle gust of wind.

 

Celeste continued walking without saying anything to the young man that was her new partner. There were several occasion in which Owen tried futilely to start a conversation with her, most of which started with an apology. “I didn’t mean-”  
“I don’t care.” She always cut him off quickly. “Just shut up and keep moving.” With a sigh, he obeyed and followed her around the next bend which lead to an opening with a pedestal holding several small figurines. Several were already missing and Celeste grabbed the first one that caught her attention. She tossed the miniature beowolf at Owen, “I think this one’s fitting.”  
“You’re definitely as aggressive as one,” He pretended the comment wasn’t about his wolf tail and chuckled. Owen was relieved that Celeste smiled at his joke instead of getting even more upset at him.

 

“-Do!?” Xanthic was suddenly standing next to his partner again. They were both next to a table of figurines. “She… teleported us here?”  
“It would seem so. Man, that’s a really cool semblance!”  
“Yeah.” He turned his attention now to the table and saw four spaces of figurines missing. “These must be the relics then.”  
“Yep, but which one do we take?”  
“How about the goliath? The other one’s missing so our teammates must be capable.”  
“Sounds good to me.”

 

D’art grabbed the only remaining relic, a Beowulf statue, running his hands over the stained wood. “Wow, this is sick. I might keep this for myself” he said, looking back at his partner.  
Eve looked at the statue, then around herself. “So much for being first. How are we supposed to get out?” She wondered aloud. Suddenly, the ground began to quake.   
“Another ice trap?” D’art said, ready to run.   
Eve placed a hand down on the shaky earth. “No…something worse…”

 

Xanthic and Riliane struggled back through the maze, questioning their every move. Suddenly, Riliane stopped. Xanthic turned to his partner. “What's wrong? See a ghost?” He joked.  
Riliane’s face became still. “Get next to me. Now.” Xanthic, confused, moved next to the blind girl.   
“What's up with you?” Xanthic asked, slightly annoyed. Riliane held her hand on one of the maze walls.  
“The walls,” she said, feeling the sinking of each block “they’re dropping into the floor.” Xanthic looked, noticing that the walls were getting smaller and smaller. Suddenly, the dangers of the maze revealed themselves: a pack of beowolves, Ursa, and a king taijitu pierced over the low hanging barriers sinking to the floor. Xanthic pulled out his weapon, ready to fight. The Grimm turned their head to the remaining members in the maze, their orange eyes glowing with murder.


End file.
